Agenda and minutes

To receive apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Janet Morgan, Samantha Bowring, Pat Lonergan, Alison Rooke, Mary de Vere and Gervase Duffield.

To adopt and sign as a correct record the Section I Minutes of the Meeting of the Committee Abingdon Area Committee held on 6 November 2008 (attached).

The minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 6 November 2008 were adopted and signed as a correct record.

The minutes were agreed as a correct record subject to corrections to references (minute Ab.31) that the Town Council “ran” the Chamber of Commerce, as this was not the case.

To receive any declarations of Personal or Personal and Prejudicial Interests in respect of items on the agenda for this meeting. 

Any Member with a personal interest or a personal and prejudicial interest in accordance with the provisions of the Code of Conduct, in any matter to be considered at a meeting, must declare the existence and nature of that interest as soon as the interest becomes apparent in accordance with the provisions of the Code.

When a Member declares a personal and prejudicial interest he shall also state if he has a dispensation from the Standards Committee entitling him/her to speak, or speak and vote on the matter concerned.

Where any Member has declared a personal and prejudicial interest he shall withdraw from the room while the matter is under consideration unless

(a)    His/her disability to speak, or speak and vote on the matter has been removed by a dispensation granted by the Standards Committee, or

(b)    members of the public are allowed to make representations, give evidence or answer questions about the matter by statutory right or otherwise.  If that is the case, the Member can also attend the meeting for that purpose.  However, the Member must immediately leave the room once he/she has finished; or when the meeting decides he/she has finished whichever is the earlier and in any event the Member must leave the room for the duration of the debate on the item in which he/she has a personal and prejudicial interest.

Members declared interests in report 175/08 – Community Grants as follows:-

To receive notification of any matters, which the Chair determines, should be considered as urgent business and the special circumstances, which have made the matters urgent, and to receive any announcements from the Chair.

The Chair reminded those present that after the meeting there would be an informal meeting of Members to discuss the Abingdon Area Forum.

The Chair reported that Councillor Richard Webber would have to leave the meeting early.  The Chair advised that she had therefore agreed to consider the application from Drayton Village Hall, in which Councillor Webber had a personal and prejudicial interest at a later point in the meeting when he had left.

Any statements and/or petitions from the public under Standing Order 32 will be made or presented at the meeting.

It was noted that Rosemary Joseph, of Abingdon Music Festival had given notice that she wished to make a statement.

Ms Joseph made a statement in support of the application for a community grant on behalf of the Abingdon Music Festival. She advised that the money sought was intended for a special event which would be running a conducting master class. She advised that there was a great deal of interest in conducting following a recent BBC television series. She stated that the event was over and above the usual events run by the Music Festival, which was why separate funds were being sought from the Vale. She reported that the Town Council had given £350 towards the project and advised that Radley College had agreed to permit use of its hall for the event free of charge. She advised that she had been advised that applications under the value of £500 were dealt with by Officers under delegated powers and had not anticipated having to come to the Committee to ask for support. She stated that she had been advised of the need to come to Committee due to the fact that the budget was now very limited. She commented that the festival would have made an application earlier in the year had it been aware of this possibility.

The Chair thanked Ms Joseph for her statement.

Any questions from members of the public under Standing Order 32 will be asked at the meeting.

None.

To receive and consider report 175/08 of the Strategic Director and Head of Community Strategic.

The Committee received and considered report 175/08 of the Strategic Director detailing grant applications.

One Member commented that it was clear that there was insufficient budget remaining to award grants to all of the applicants and questioned how the Committee was going to consider each one. It was agreed that the Committee would consider each application, decide whether to support the application in principle and thereafter determine an amount to be awarded.

One Member questioned the status of the applications of the Compass Café and The Vale of White Horse Foyer, which had both been awarded a grant by the Committee, subject to grant applications made to the County Council being unsuccessful. Officers confirmed that the grants which had been allocated (£3,000 to the Compass Café and £670 to The Vale of White Horse Foyer), had been deducted from the remaining budget. Officers confirmed that applications had not been made to the County Council and were unlikely to be made as there was no remaining budget.  Members therefore considered that these sums should be returned to balances.

The Committee considered each application as follows: -

Abingdon Music Festival

One Member commented that he had attended the events organised by the Festival last year and had found them to be well attended. He added that there had been a genuine feeling of all round participation and therefore he considered the application worthy of support. Other Members agreed but one Member disagreed commenting that this event targeted too small a number of people.   However on a show of hands it was agreed by 5 votes to nil that the application should be supported.

Oxfordshire Film and Video Makers

One Member questioned the benefit of the initiative for Abingdon residents. One Member advised that the projects run were well attended by local school children and considered that the experiences on offer were of benefit. One Member commented that he did not support the application and suggested that given the limited number of people likely to benefit, the Committee should not to support a grant application.  Other Members agreed and it was concluded that given the limited number of people who would benefit a grant should not be offered.

Oxfordshire Play Association

Councillors Beth Fleming had declared a personal interest in part of this item. 

In response to a question raised regarding the benefit of the Play Association it was commented that most after school clubs and toddler groups were members and this gave them an opportunity to receive play equipment. No Members spoke against the application and the Committee agreed that a grant should be offered.

South and Vale Carers Centre

One Member commented that this application should be supported as it provided a link for carers with a real presence in Abingdon. Members agreed that this project was important and that a grant should be offered.

Assisted Reading for Children in Oxfordshire

Members questioned the benefit of the scheme in Abingdon. Officers advised that the scheme was in operation all over  ...  view the full minutes text for item 42.

The Committee received and considered report 176/08 of the Strategic Director which asked Members to consider the production of a grants prospectus for the Abingdon Area and to determine its contents.

Officers advised that the intention was to give potential applicants an idea of what types of grants were particularly welcome at this Committee. It was commented that it was not an attempt to be prescriptive and to exclude other types of applications.

One Member questioned what the prospectus would look like and suggested that something be prepared that was more user friendly than the current folder. Officers responded that it was unlikely that a glossy magazine would be produced given budget constraints.  However Officers undertook to approach the Council’s Communications Team with a view to improving the current format.

The Committee agreed that a prospectus would be useful and went through the priorities highlighted in the report to determine which would be included. It was agreed that the following would be taken out of the prospectus:

In addition to the removal of the above it was agreed that the following be inserted under the priority “A low carbon vale” – community climate change initiatives.

RESOLVED

that a community grants prospectus be supported subject to the comments referred to above.

None.